I have a 93 vert. Bought it as the 2nd owner in 2001 with 44k miles on it. Current mileage is 66k. So yes, 12k miles in 12years. The car is only a seasonal driver and is stored from Nov-April here in NY in my garage. I have had 2 Transmission services performed on her since I have owned her. Once upon buying her, and once about 5 years ago,

For the last 5-6 years she has always had a small (think a spot the size of a 8" paper plate) leak when parked. However, over this past winter that leak seems to have expanded to something about the size of pizza pie.

Im no wrench myself so I am going to have to take the car to the dealer and let them decipher this but wanted to get a "guesstimate" from you all as to what would make it leak like that, and what would make the leak get worse while just sitting? Any ideas on what this might run me in repairs?

I really cant complain, I have not had problems with the car at all. And if this is the biggest thing in 12yrs I think I am pretty lucky

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Can't begin to tell ya what the problem with the leakage is.....but if you take it to a dealer, all they'll want to do is replace the tranny. They won't even consider trying to 'fix' it. So what it will cost you is a 'new' tranny.....

Just so ya know.

KW

 

I will start off with the assumption that this is an automatic?? Automatic transmission fluid is a reddish color. So again, assumption on my part that the oil on your garage floor has a reddish color to it. If you look under the car, can you line up the pool to the end of the tail shaft from the transmission? This is a little hard to do because of the "C" beam around the end of the transmission and the drive shaft. If you think this is about right....or you think the fluid is running down the "C" beam then dripping onto the floor, then use your best judgment.

I would not take it to a dealer. I would get the recommendation of a good transmission shop close to you and there it there. Chances are you might need a new bearing and seal on the shaft coming out of the transmission. Best of luck on your BABY.

 

a clue as to whether the leak is from the front or the rear of the tranny will go a long way in predicting what needs to be repaired / replaced.

some caveats; if from the front ,it could be either the front seal of the tranny or the rear main seal of the engine; on a 93 the trans will have to be pulled to access either and this is labor intensive.

if from the rear, its almost certainly the rear seal or the seal around the speedometer sending unit; if its the speedo, it can be replaced with little or no difficulty; if its the rear transmission seal, some disassembly is required, mainly removal of the C beam and drive shaft...but again, not a huge amount of labor to do so.

of course a vert may possibly require removal of the chassis X brace to access these areas.

unless you have a blood relationship with the service manger, DO NOT take it to a dealer; go to a reputable independent shop, have them put it on a lift and tell you whats going on (without charging a $100 "diagnosis" fee for the privilege of doing so).

Good luck, and I hope your car is back on the road in time for all the good "convertible" weather coming up.

 

well for starters I have an excellent relationship with my dealer. Not only have I bought 4+ vehicles from them but they are one of the reputable vette repair shops in the area. Theres alot of history and a lot of who knows who. I know I will get raked over the coals with the labor rate but I would be willing to pay that for piece of mind and little things like knowing at the end of the night that my car was inside, not sitting out on a lot in the rain, etc.... etc...

The only reason that I even started this thread was because for my own piece of mind I wanted to know if anyone else had experienced something similar. I just thought it odd that I hardly drove the car at all last year, like less then 1k miles, and the leak seemed to get worse. It almost appears as though its coming from the pan. I notice no hard shifts (yes its an Auto) and no other issues other then the leak which has progressively gotten worse.

 

Unfortunately for some of us, our experience with dealerships has not been as positive.

 

If the transmission pan has a cork gasket, they tend to get saturated with fluid and leak worse and worse. The fluid seeps right through the gasket. I highly recommend Farpak pan gaskets. They're pretty amazing and I've seen them seal when they were wet with trans fluid.

It's also possible that it's leaking at the fill pipe, TV valve, cooler lines or shift lever. ...or maybe the governor cover:



You need somebody to get under there and determine exactly where the fluid is coming from. That will make a big difference on what you need to do to fix it (or maybe leave it alone if it turns out to be a major expense).

 

Relationships are something that requires effort - I know several with excellent relationships with dealers. Sometimes with older/vintage "so to speak" the experience with the product has retired or moved on to a management position. It's just as easy or maybe even easier to get less than stellar service from an independent. The relationship with either is important.

A leak that has grown from an 8" through the winter storage to that of a small pizza should be easily diagnosed. Most of those could be somewhat minor but a couple require substantial labor operations. If it were a VSS seal failure it's a simple and inexpensive repair, a '93 pan gasket failure or leak would seem doubtful, a governor cover leak less likely but both inexpensive. If it's at the extreme rear of transmission the labor escalates substantially. With your miles an extension housing seal and maybe replace the bushing while there and it could also be the plug in the slip yoke is leaking or if it were vented for starters and that's leaking it can be done in car. If it's the plug itself then it becomes complicated labor wise. There's an internal sleeve and o-ring that controls the fluid at the splines. The worst leak that they could discover would be a front pump seal, that requires the removal of the transmission. The service of the slip-yoke plug or the repair of the vent if it is some or most won't understand. An experienced technician will!

Your relationship could become stressed BUT if it's where you're "comfortable" it's where to go.

 

It's really great that you have confidence in your dealer. But unless your dealer's shop has a dedicated transmission specialist, they will not do much more than dropping the old tranny and putting in a new tranny.

The only caveat to this is if the leak is obviously coming from an 'easy-to-get-to' gasket/seal....and only that gasket/seal is the problem. If the leak is coming from a location that would lead them to suspect internal issues with the tranny, they are going to replace the whole unit.

GM dealerships, almost universally, do not repair/rebuild transmissions.

Best of luck.

KW

 

When they're inspecting it for leaks this is an example of an area you'd like them to pay attention to. The slip yoke generally has a vent and the seal on the sleeve that's internal fails and the vent weeps from the splines throgh the slip-yoke. It's often overlooked or misdiagnosed as a bad extension seal. The weep hole/vent if it's leaking can be dealt with sometimes.